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Brain Tumors
URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/braintumors.html

Brain Tumors

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Basics

  • Summary
  • Start Here
  • Symptoms
  • Diagnosis and Tests
  • Prevention and Risk Factors
  • Treatments and Therapies

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  • Related Issues
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Summary

A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain. Brain tumors can be benign, with no cancer cells, or malignant, with cancer cells that grow quickly. Some are primary brain tumors, which start in the brain. Others are metastatic, and they start somewhere else in the body and move to the brain.

Brain tumors can cause many symptoms. Some of the most common are:

  • Headaches, often in the morning
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Changes in your ability to talk, hear, or see
  • Problems with balance or walking
  • Problems with thinking or memory
  • Feeling weak or sleepy
  • Changes in your mood or behavior
  • Seizures

Doctors diagnose brain tumors by doing a neurologic exam and tests including an MRI, CT scan, and biopsy. Treatment options include watchful waiting, surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. Targeted therapy uses drugs or other substances that attack cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Many people get a combination of treatments.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

  • Adult Central Nervous System Tumors Treatment From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
  • Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors From the National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
  • Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors in Adults (American Cancer Society)
  • Brain Tumors Signs & Symptoms (National Brain Tumor Society)

Symptoms

  • Signs and Symptoms (of a Brain Tumor) (American Brain Tumor Association)
  • Spotlight on Brain Tumors: Do You Know the Symptoms? From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

  • Brain MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Video (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
  • Can Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors in Adults Be Found Early? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Analysis From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
  • Functional MRI (fMRI) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
  • Head CT Video (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
  • Newly Diagnosed (Brain Tumor) (American Brain Tumor Association)

Prevention and Risk Factors

  • Risk Factors for Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

  • Assisted Care Options (American Brain Tumor Association)
  • Drugs Approved for Brain Tumors From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)
  • End of Life Care (Brain Tumors) (American Brain Tumor Association)
  • Steroids (American Brain Tumor Association) - PDF

Living With

  • Brain Tumor Support Groups (American Brain Tumor Association) - In English and Spanish

Related Issues

  • Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
  • Recurrence (of Brain Tumors) (American Brain Tumor Association)

Specifics

  • Brain Tumor Types (National Brain Tumor Society)
  • Brain Tumors Types (American Brain Tumor Association) - PDF
  • Meningioma (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Genetics

  • Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine)
  • Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis: MedlinePlus Genetics From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine)

Images

  • Craniotomy - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

  • Brain components Video (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

  • Advances in Brain and Spinal Cord Tumor Research From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)
  • Cancer of the Brain and Other Nervous System From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)
  • Cell Phones and Cancer Risk From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
  • Liquid Biopsy Detects Brain Cancer and Early-Stage Kidney Cancer From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)

Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Brain Neoplasms From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Glioma From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Meningioma From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

  • Article: A phase 1 safety and feasibility trial of a ketogenic diet...
  • Article: A phase 1/2a dose-finding study and biomarker assessment of oral lisavanbulin...
  • Article: POLARIS: encorafenib plus binimetinib for people with BRAF V600-mutant melanoma with...
  • Brain Tumors -- see more articles

Reference Desk

  • Dictionary of Cancer Terms From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

  • American Cancer Society
  • Choosing a Cancer Doctor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
  • National Cancer Institute From the National Institutes of Health Also in Spanish
  • NCI - Designated Cancer Centers From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
  • Neuro-Oncology Branch From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
  • Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services From the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Children

  • Childhood Brain Tumors: MedlinePlus Health Topic From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

  • Brain surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Brain surgery - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Brain tumor - primary -- adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Metastatic brain tumor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Topic Image

Brain Tumors

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

  • After chemotherapy - discharge
  • Brain components
  • Brain herniation
  • Brain PET scan
  • Brain radiation - discharge
  • Brain surgery
  • Brain surgery - discharge
  • Brain tumor - primary -- adults
  • Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) collection
  • Craniotomy - series
  • Head CT scan
  • Head MRI
  • Hypothalamic tumor
  • Metastatic brain tumor
  • Posterior fossa tumor
  • Primary lymphoma of the brain
  • Skull x-ray
  • Stereotactic radiosurgery - discharge
  • Stereotactic radiosurgery - Gamma Knife

Related Health Topics

  • Brain Diseases
  • Childhood Brain Tumors
  • Pituitary Tumors

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Brain Tumors is the National Cancer Institute

Disclaimers

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The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

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